Chandragupta Maurya

(r. 321–297 B.C.E.) The founder of the
Maurya dynasty. The young
Chandragupta began his empire by
141
Chandragupta Maurya
Coins from the Gupta dynasty.
overthrowing the last member of the
Nanda dynasty and occupying the capital in Pataliputra, identified with the
modern city of Patna in the state of
Bihar. From there he took control of the
Ganges River basin, moved south into
the region of the Narmada River, and
then turned his attention to northwestern India, taking advantage of the power
vacuum left by the recent incursion of
Alexander the Great. In 303 B.C.E. he
defeated Alexander’s general Seleucus
Nicator in battle, then agreed to a treaty
in which he received large parts of modern Afghanistan. Despite the battle, relations seem to have been friendly
between the two, for Seleucus Nicator
sent an ambassador to Pataliputra,
Megasthenes, who lived there for many
years. Chandragupta was reportedly
advised by a brilliant brahmin minister,
variously called Kautilya or Chanakya,
who is considered the author of the
Arthashastra. According to legend,
Chandragupta renounced his throne to
become a Jain monk and eventually died
through ritual starvation.